Hops are grown commercially for use in flavoring beers, stouts and ales. Lupulin glands found inside female hop cones provide the resins and essential oils which are the primary components of the hop flavor each variety imparts to beers, stouts and ales. New hop varieties are evaluated for their growing characteristics, per acre hop cone yields (dried to approximately 8% moisture), the chemical composition of the resins and essential oils contained within the hop cone's lupulin glands, and the unique flavor each variety imparts to beers, stouts and ales. Only female hop plants produce cones containing lupulin glands, and thus only female hop plants have any commercial value. Male hop plants have no commercial value other than for use in breeding programs to create new varieties.
This invention relates to a new and distinct variety of hop and more particularly to an asexually reproduced hop variety selected from among hop plants resulting from a controlled cross pollination between an unpatented tetraploid USDA 21055 (non commercial breeding line) female hop plant with unpatented John I. Haas, Inc. (Haas) male hop plant No. 833-53M.
Haas male hop plant No. 833-53M originated from a controlled cross pollination in 1982 between unpatented female hop plant USDA Accession No. 21055 and unpatented male hop plant USDA Accession No. 63015M.
The controlled cross pollination program resulting in the creation of the new hop variety, hereafter called H900325-5 was performed in 1989 by Mr. Gene Probasco, a botanist employed by John I. Haas, Inc., in a Haas greenhouse located at 1112 North 16th Avenue, Yakima, Wash., 98902. Mr. Probasco discovered the H900325-5 variety in 1990 among the hop plants which were produced from the seeds resulting from the above described controlled cross pollination program.
The seeds from the cross between tetraploid USDA 21055 female hop plant and Haas male hop plant No. 833-53M were planted in a Haas greenhouse in 1990. The most vigorous plants resulting from the cross were selected and planted in a Haas hop field located at Wada Farm, Yakima Golding Farms, Toppenish, Wash. This planting did not produce a crop during the planting year.
In 1991, because of the chemical analysis and field observations of the hop plants resulting from the tetraploid USDA 21055 female.times.Haas male 833-53M cross, Mr. Probasco was attracted to the `H900325-5` hop plant for its unusually high percentage of alpha-acids, early maturity and a reasonable projected per acre cone yield on low (10 foot) trellis. The per acre cone yield projections were based upon the cone production of the single `H900325-5` hop plant observed in 1991.
It was noted that `H900325-5` produced a sufficient number of very heavy cones for the height of the plant. The shortened internodes, laterals and overall plant height indicated that the plant could be described as a "semi-dwarf".
In 1992, the `H900325-5` plant was observed again in the same location and production of alpha-acids was again high. This same year a larger scale trial consisting of thirty plants was planted at the John I. Haas, Inc. hop farm in Mabton, Wash. on a trial "low trellis" for the purpose of a small scale yield trial. These thirty plants constituted the first asexual reproduction of the `H900325-5` variety taking place in a Haas greenhouse in Yakima, Wash. These plantings represented the second generation and did not produce a crop during the planting year. Additionally in 1992, a small scale trial consisting of three plants was established in Oregon.
In 1993 and 1994 the second generation plants in the trial at Mabton were harvested for chemical analysis and yield evaluations.
Results from the test plot provided additional information supporting the per acre cone yield and alpha-acids projections made from the original `H900325-5` plant selected in 1991; confirmed the unusually high alpha-acids percentage characteristics of the new variety; and initiated the accumulation of historical agronomic data on the new variety.
In 1994, third generation rootstock from the `H900325-5` variety was planted in a test plot of approximately 2.0 acres (large acreage test plot) at the John I. Haas, Inc. hop farm located at Mabton, Wash. Also, a small scale test plot of 150 plants was planted in Toppenish, Wash. Neither of these plantings yielded a crop in 1994.
In 1995, the two acre test plot of third generation plants at the Mabton farm was harvested using a mechanical field stripper designed for low trellis hop harvesting. Cleaning and drying of the harvested hops was in the conventional harvesting facility. The first year per acre cone production was approximately 984 pounds per acre. This is within the range of first year per acre cone production for a commercially viable hop variety. It is important to note that first year per acre cone yields in Washington State typically are lower than normal per acre yields for Washington State hop fields in subsequent years. Consequently, the per acre cone yield observations made from this first year one acre test plot were used to merely project anticipated normal yields for the new variety. The analytical data from chemical analysis of multiple random samples from bales of cones harvested from the two acre test plot showed an average alpha-acids percentage of 18.8% (ASBC spectrophotometric method). This is an unusually high alpha-acids percentage, and in combination with the early maturity and resonable yield on low trellis is one of the primary novel characteristics of this new variety.
In 1996, the two acre test plot produced 1740 pounds per acre and alpha-acids content was 19.4% (ASBC spectrophotometric method).
All of the testing and evaluation of the `H900325-5` variety's growing characteristics, per acre hop cone yield and analytical data were carried out on hop farms and laboratory facilities which are wholly owned and controlled by John I. Haas, Inc.
No brewing for any beers, stouts or ales had been completed on this new variety as of the end of the 1996 growing season.
Based upon the field observations performed, and chemical analytical data collected during this testing and evaluation program from 1991 through 1996, it appears that second and third generation `H900325-5` hop plants demonstrate genetic stability with respect to the new variety's novel characteristic of unusually high alpha-acids yields. Also, the new `H900325-5` variety demonstrates genetic stability with respect to the production of commercially viable per acre hop cone yields.
The variety `H900325-5` is usually ready to pick by the 15th to the 18th of August. This is approximately one week earlier than the variety Early Cluster. The compact and ovoid shape cones of this variety are mid to large in size and this aids in the ease of picking and cleaning. Commercial picking of plants grown on low trellis is done by a mechanical harvester which straddles the trellis and strips the cones and leaves of the laterals in an upward motion. Adaptation to this type of harvesting is very good, leaves do not develop in the cones, the cones detach easily from stems, and the cones do not shatter during commercial harvesting and drying.
This new hop variety has been carefully compared to its female parent, the unpatented USDA noncommercial breeding line 21055. The hop industry does not make or rely on any comparisons between new varieties and their male parents because male hops plants have no commercial value. The primary difference between the new `H900325-5` variety and its female parent is the earliness of harvesting, semi-dwarf characteristics and the unusually high alpha-acids percentages in bales of harvested hop cones.